Origin of a Hero
by Webdog177
Summary: These days everyone knows who I am. Everybody thinks they know my story because of that big splash I made in the papers, but someone discovered me long before that. That's when I actually became something. My story really begins on that night. Mind the 'M' rating. [Modern day superhero AU, Katara x Toph, femslash and yuri abound]


Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. This is for entertainment purposes only.

A/N: So its been a loooong which since I've been a part of the ATLA fandom. And what better way to dip back into the pool that with an interesting one-shot?

I had the idea for a modern day superhero AU for Avatar for a while, what with the superhero craze going on these days (team 'Cap, eyyyyy!). Its an interesting idea, having element benders living amongst us acting as vigilante heroes. It makes for a neat setting, and I finally sat down to see where I could get with a pilot/one-shot in this AU. And naturally, being me, I had to make it femslash erotica. Because that's what I do.

Enjoy.

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 **Origin of a Hero**

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 _These days everyone knows who I am. I creep into the edges of conversation. I'm in regular rotation on the nightly news – me and the others. Everybody thinks they know my story because of that big splash I made in the papers when I ended that bank robbery, but someone discovered me long before that. That's when I actually became something. My story really begins on that night._

I was in a club, feeling nothing but the bass in my bones and the sway of my limbs. Even though I couldn't see, I could still imagine the flash of strobe lights and techno-colored lights illuminate the dance floor as I moved to the beat of the music. With every step, every move, I stretched my awareness along the tiled floor, and felt the people around me, dancing, moving, and simply being there.

Eventually, I noticed a woman looking at me. I could tell she was looking at me because of the way she stood, like she was turned fully towards me and matched herself to my motions. I could tell she was tall from her gait – taller than me, at any rate – and moved with an almost liquid grace compared to my more earthy rigidness. I might have even been a little jealous if I hadn't been trying to show off a little. I casually danced closer, only tilting my head towards her once in a while, trying to play it cool.

Not for the first time, I cursed my inability to see my would-be-suitor.

Luckily, she followed my lead and danced closer, her attention still focused on me. She wasn't shy. Maybe I shouldn't be either.

I abandoned the pretense of being casual and approached her, my mouth curling up into a smile. She began to dance around me, not touching me, sensuously moving her long body around me like a snake. Then she lifted one finger and touched my chest, tracing a line of sweat that ran down between my breasts. The world receded as her finger lingered on me. As if hypnotized, I let her take my hands and put them on her. Together we moved. The beat infused our movements with rapture. Our wet limbs entwined like water. Our hips thrummed with fire.

Then some guy came up behind me and put his hands on my ass. The steamy, sexy spell we had was broken. Outraged choked me. I hissed and slapped him away, snarling, "Fuck off, asswipe!" I fingers and toes tensed in preparation.

Instead of fucking off as instructed, he moved behind my dance partner and pawed at her. She swatted at him like the cockroach he was.

Then it happened… again. My chest heaved and my brain rattled around in my skull. All the hairs on my body stood on end, and goosebumps rushed to cover every inch of my skin. My teeth tattooed a spastic rhythm. The ground shook around me, and the tiled floor cracked in a circle beneath my feet.

I snapped out one of my feet and slid it along the ground towards the man harassing her and grinned a feral smile when he yelped, his legs twisting from under him as he flew a dozen feet away, crashing into a table and knocking it over.

Eh, he was probably fine.

All the manic energy drained from me, and my body stopped its tremors. I turned my attention to the woman in front of me, and felt her turn from me to the man, and then back to me. I felt her heart thumped her surprise – her _shock_ – and I shrunk in on myself. I turned and pushed to the exit. The air in that place was too hot and close.

When I spilled into the street, the night was cool with a light, misting rain. Bent double, I swallowed deep breaths and _whoa_ 'ed my heart to slow its canter. I lifted my head, legitimately surprised to find her standing in front of me.

"Holy shit," she breathed, her voice a higher pitch than I'd expected. "What did you do to him?"

I could only dully shake my head.

"That was so fucking cool!" Was that awe in her voice? That sounded like awe in her voice. My eyebrows drew together. She grabbed my hand and pulled me into a run.

"C'mon! Let's get out of here before that asshole recovers or the cops show!"

With her warm hand enveloping mine, it was hard to focus on the thoughts ricocheting like bullets in a barrel around my brain. I picked up the pace until our strides slapped the damp pavement like matched heartbeats.

Between puffs of breath that I traded for cold air, I asked, "Where are you taking me?"

I felt her turn slightly towards me as she tugged on my hand, "Patience!"

For the next few blocks, all I could think of was her voice, her light, giggling tone, and the feeling of her soft hand in mine. I couldn't help but think of how soft that hand would feel other places when she abruptly stopped.

From the structure of the building in front of us, I know we were standing in front of the Jasmine Dragon, one of the few Oriental-style tea houses in the city. There were a few people inside, and they seemed to just be patrons.

I tilted my head, sarcasm leaking into my tone. "Is this the place you take all your potential conquests?"

"Only the other benders who might be on the lam from the law."

I flinched, then her words hit home. "Wait… other benders?"

"Plus, they have great rice cakes."

Ah, so that was how it's going to be. I scowled, but squared my shoulders. "I will judge them by their rice cakes, then."

We sat at one of the two-seated booths that was so small our knees touched beneath the short table. Her hands rested in her lap, and her fingertips brushed my leg. My esteem for the place rose up a notch.

I gave her what I assumed was an appraising look, which I assumed she returned. I was always bad at these kinds of things; intimate one-on-ones where eye contact and facial expressions and shit got in the way. I was always better with just talking it out. But I knew that some people appreciated it.

"You do know I'm blind, right?" I had to ask anyway.

"I noticed. Don't care." She replied succinctly.

Well. Alrighty.

Still, I hoped I passed muster with my compact form, shaggy black hair and perpetually pinched face.

We were served tea and a plate of those fabled rice cakes. Feeling oddly exposed, I slurped down a couple of quick swallows of tea and bit into a cake.

"Wow," I said, honestly surprised. "That's… actually pretty good."

She put her cup back down on the table and – was she shaking a finger at me? Huh, she was shaking a finger at me. How novel. "Never judge a teahouse by its" – waved her hand around, gesturing to our surroundings—"everything."

Huh, I guess the decoration wasn't up to par. Guess I was glad I couldn't see it.

"So who are you, mystery lady?"

She smiled – I think – and her words came fast. "I'm Katara. I'm from a little island town _waaaaay_ down south, but my parents moved here when I was four. I'm studying to be a doctor. Snore. But I like it. I've lived in an apartment a couple blocks from here for six or seven years. And I live tragically alone."

I tilted my head and regarded her carefully. "Tell me something sexy about you."

She leaned in closer, and I leaned in instinctively. "What isn't sexy about me?"

I caught a whiff of her scent – perfume and lingering sweat from our dance and subsequent departure from the club – and I felt a sharp tug of arousal at my belly. _Fuck_ , what was it about a woman's scent that just flipped my switch?

And then she chuckled softly. "I like to play video games in my lingerie." Without missing a beat, she continued, "But I think the real question is 'what's your name?'"

"Toph," I said. "Not sure what it means. My parents were kinda nuts when naming me, and pretty much for 21-ish years after that. I'm blind. Surprise."

"Toph, huh?" she 'humm'ed. "You sure it's not Quake? Earthquake? She-Shake? Something ground-sounding? You a member of a superhero club?"

I lowered my head, my bangs falling into my eyes. "No one's ever seen me do that before… or more like no one's ever known it was me doing it before. It's like you're the only one who's ever really seen me."

I heard her suck in a sharp breath, and lifted my head barely an inch – just enough to show that my attention was on her. "How?" she asked. "When I saw you back there, you were like a magnetic pulse that I could feel through all the noise. Like a desert calling to water, I felt you calling me."

My lips parted, and I let loose a whisper of a gasp.

And then she grinned. I think. "Plus, girl, you are a whole lot of hotness in such a small package." She put on a twang in a slight imitation of my dialect. "And that accent, mmm. I could just eat… you… up."

I snorted inelegantly. She reached across the table and gripped my arms. Her touch sent waves of heat through my body, making me fidget and squirm in my seat.

"Seriously, you've got to tell me. I'll die of the shame of ignorance if you don't. Literally. I'll die a hot, lonely doctoral student. You've basically killed a possible future doctor and savior of many, many lives."

Thinking, I licked my lips. "Invite me back to my place. You show me yours, and I'll show you mine."

Slowly, she drew back her hands. The thought flashed through me head that maybe I overstepped my bounds. She had no reason to tell me anything. Hell, maybe I was off base completely and she was just your normal, everyday girl who wanted to pick up someone in a club.

But, still, that comment she'd made before about the 'other benders' niggled at the back of my head. I had to know.

I had to know I wasn't alone.

"Are you sure?" I heard her ask.

Mustering a veneer of confidence, I said, "Take me to bed and find out."

By the time we left the teahouse, the sky had let loose its troubles. We flat-out ran for Katara's apartment while the fat raindrops soaked us through. Her hand clasped mine and practically dragged me up the flights of stairs. Before I could settle my breathing, we were inside her apartment.

She made no move to turn on a light. The place was hers, so she was likely familiar enough with its layout. And I didn't need lights to see. Instead, she let me stand there and stretch out my senses through the floor.

Her place had big windows, I noticed first. I imagined the scenery I might have been able to see were I able to. Would it be a park? A city street? Or maybe just a side street with small businesses, bustling with people from day to day? I turned away from the window.

The apartment was one large open room, and my attention lingered on the bed in the far corner. The floor was carpet over solid foundation – thank the gods for small favors. Fucking wooden floors. Little toys sat like totems on the floor in twos and threes, a coffee table and a counter. There were probably more things on the table or countertop, but I couldn't sense them.

"Can you feel things through the floor?" Katara asked softly.

I nodded. "I control the earth. Rock, dirt, sand… with enough focus. I'm blind, but I can feel vibrations through the ground with my feet."

"Ah. I was wondering why you don't wear shoes."

I shrugged. "Does it bother you?"

"No."

I was about to ask about her, what she could do, when I felt the strangest sensation. It was like something was taking all the rain and the sweat and all the _moisture_ on my skin and _squeezing_ it like the wringing of a towel. It wasn't painful per se, just unnerving when I hadn't expected it. I felt my body and clothes dry over the seconds until I felt as if I hadn't just spent minutes dashing through the pouring rain, being led by this girl to her apartment.

I was surprised, shocked even, but I couldn't help myself.

I pouted.

"If you could control water, why didn't you keep the rain off of us in the first place?"

She laughed, "That wouldn't have been nearly as fun."

I snorted, turning towards her. She stood a few feet from me, her tall frame drawing all my attention, attempting to capture what I could to memory. Her form was slightly… fuzzy… from the dress she wore, but I could still pick out her curves and the outline of her thighs. I stepped towards her, reaching out. I stopped in mid-motion, my arms halfway extended.

I swallowed. "Can I kiss you?"

Katara didn't say anything.

I whispered, "Ever since I saw you, I've wanted to touch you. Can I?"

There was another few seconds of silence, and then she moved.

Her lips were on me; her body pressed flush against mine. If I was the quavering earth, she was languid water. Her skin simmered beneath her dress, and her mouth enveloped me. She swallowed me, consuming me. My universe was her mouth, her lips, and her tongue. Our breath was a living being, passed back and forth between us. She nipped at me, and the pain was exquisite, lighting up my body, reminding me that I even had a body. I had been born with hands and feet so that I could worship at the altar of Katara.

I drew my hands up her legs, pulling her dress up over her head. I stood transfixed, running my hands over the mound of her hip and the curves of her breasts, each nipple like an upturned bud seeking warm sunlight. She tore off my shirt and unzipped my pants. I knelt before her, tracing the line of her panties with the tip of my tongue. Her hands were in my hair, she moaned and leaned into me.

With agonizing slowness, I used only my teeth to tug her panties down. Small gasps kept escaping her. I wanted to bury my face between her legs and lap at her like a kitten, but I held back. Instead I darted my tongue out in quick motions, licking the lips that were hidden behind soft, downy hair.

My darting tongue parted those lips, but I wasn't ready yet to reach the end goal.

"You're teasing me, Toph," she groaned.

I laughed and stood up. "I can't have you coming so quick, Can I?"

We kissed and petted each other, laughing and stumbling to Katara's bed. She was on top of me, towering over me like a goddess. Her hands snaked down my legs. When her fingertips finally found my clit, it was like an electric jolt ran through me, and I cried out and spread my legs wider, my body, of its own will, begging for more.

She bit my ear and growled, "You're so wet… I can _feel_ how wet you are."

I groaned at the sensuality in her voice and soon I was bucking against her hand, gliding up and down the length of her fingers. Two fingers slid inside me for an instant, and then they were gone, back to their rapid, slippery strokes. Her mouth was on my nipple, and she bit and sucked and licked it.

"You have the perkiest little tits," she breathed.

"Please…" I begged, not knowing what I was even begging for.

Her fingers slipped back inside me, and I ground my pelvis against them. I threw my head back, panting heavily. Then her fingers were outside me again, rubbing in circles until I ached with the need for release. Suddenly a torrent of heat and pleasure wracked me, and I was calling out her name.

I lay there for a long moment, catching my breath.

Against my ear, she said, "My philosophy is come early and come often."

I laughed. "Good philosophy."

I kissed her then like kissing was the only language I knew. I couldn't see her, but every part of her I touched came into sharp focus. The supple skin of her belly beaded with sweat. The delicate hairs on her arms standing on end as she shivered beneath my touch. The strength of her long legs as the gripped at me. She was the only real thing in this world, the only person to truly know me and to trust me. I'd been with other women – and men – but I had always kept the truth of my secret. Over the years, I guess you could say this power of mine had become both my strength and my weakness. Her desire for me in spite of, or maybe because of, that was a gift, and I fully intended to show my gratitude.

My touch was light at a breath, I ran my hand down her chest, down to her belly, to rest on the pulsing lips between her legs. Her hips thrust forward, but I kept my touch gentle. My fingertips proved, seeking the heart of her. I wanted to lay my hands on her hard, throbbing clit, but for now I would have to content myself with imagination. With the greatest care, I licked my lips and slid my finger inside her, twisting the digit as I did.

She gasped in shock. In the next breath, she let out a breathy laugh.

"You're amazing," she said.

"I'm just getting started," I murmured.

"Mmm," she cooed. "Giddyup."

Like a radio frequency, I tuned into her. Listening, feeling, gauging what would make her body sing to me. Her body was an exquisite violin, and I the lowly violinist who sought to release in innate music. She writhed and panted as I thrust my fingers, curling and twisting and probing. And I listened, her breathing and whimpers a thing of beauty.

I turned the intensity of my thrusts up and up, searching beyond her body for what she needed and for what she wanted. My hand started moving faster and harder. She gripped the sheets with her fist, her teeth bit into my shoulder, muffling the cry that exploded from her as she convulsed in climax.

Before she could recover, I pulled her on top of me, my hand and fingers coaxing out her orgasm as she whined and keened softly against my neck. With my free hand, I kneaded the smooth flesh of her ass. Like a queen, Katara sat tall atop of me. Her hips rocked in time with my movements.

I spread the undulations outward with rapid rotations of my palm and pressed gently against her clit. As her excitement increased, her rocking became more forceful. She rode me hard and fast, her weight pressing deliciously against me. I fumbled my hand up to one of her breasts and squeezed, rubbing and pinching her nipple.

"I love feeling you on top of me. It's like I can almost see you."

She cried out wordlessly, and I could almost imagine her watching me through dark, hooded eyes. Then she bent forward to kiss me, the whole of her naked torso rubbing against mine.

We grappled and rolled until I was once again on top of her.

"Toph… Toph, it feels so good," she purred.

Through the haze of my desire, I rubbed my forehead against her neck. "I know."

"Tell me how good it makes you feel."

And I did. My words were muffled with mouthfuls of her, but I crooned to her in with words I could barely manage. I was freeing for me, in a way. I'd never been into pillow talk, but I unashamedly swung between things that I'd be ashamed to say to anyone and my deepest, unspoken truths.

Then I couldn't resist any longer. I slid down her long body and nuzzled between her legs. I savored the velvety feel of her and the sharp, honeyed taste of her. My tongue ran through her length, discovering her soft, secret places. Katara was languorous and completely accepting of my exploring licks and caresses.

I pressed the flat of my tongue against her. Again, she gasped, but this time the gasp was followed by a moan as she ground herself against my face. Greedy for more, she cupped the back of my neck and drew me even closer. I as lapped at her again and again, her hands left my neck and clutched the headboard above her. I reached up and stroked one of her breasts. With the other hand, I buried my fingers deep inside her. Like I was the holy woman and she was the possessed, Katara's body jumped up off the bed. My tongue and fingers trembled. I sucked and licked until she cried out, and I drew the orgasm out of her like a living, breathing thing.

She glowed with sweat, and her chest heaved. I crawled back up her, dropping gentle kisses as I went.

"Wow," she said. Her voice was hoarse. "How many girls have you practiced that technique on?"

I whispered in her ear, "Just you."

Her glazed eyes cleared just a bit. "I'm the only one you've ever been with?"

"Wouldn't that make you high and mighty?" I brushed her ear with my nose. "No, I've been with other people before. Just… I've never really tried that hard with anyone else before."

She chucked, her chest vibrating with pleasure. "Well, the effort is appreciated."

"I'm sure it is. Don't count me out just yet though. I have some more tricks up my sleeve."

"Fuck. You have no idea how much that turns me on."

Then she was attacking me with her mouth, her hands, her knee between my legs. Her nipples traced patterns against my chest and face. Katara thrust my arms and legs out wide until I was spread-eagled on her bed. I was naked and exposed, brimming with want. I felt her glide like a serpent down me. She chuckled – somehow knowing that I could feel every part of her on me – and then I felt a puff of heat against my center before she pressed her lips to mine.

Her tongue traced complicated shaped on my maze of folds, slowly searching deeper and deeper. With her deft tongue, she pulled back my hood, pushing past all my secrets, and finding my very heart. The fire on her mouth spread all through me, and licked at my entire body.

There were no words, no thoughts. Only fire, water, and the world. Like a fish, I gulped in air, but it only scorched my lungs. Her tongue was a cruel mistress. Distantly I heard myself begging for more of her rough tongue with its power to strip away everything that wasn't this agony of pleasure.

I would have faced the fires of hell to keep her mouth on my like this for all eternity. But I wasn't that strong. My body quaked as the orgasm rushed through me. Like a tidal it quenched all that hear, leaving nothing in its wake but the smoky remains of desire and affection.

I lay there in a daze, spent. When my senses could focus again I felt for Katara. I found her sitting up, turning wildly around. It was then I noticed the cracks in the walls, and the sounds of car alarms and distant sirens.

Fear descended on me. "What happened?"

Katara was silent for a moment, and then slid closer to me and put her hands on my shoulders. "I think you broke the building."

"Oh no, no, no, no, no…" I moaned.

Then she laughed. "I'm just fucking with you. It doesn't look that bad. It just looks like we just had a localized earthquake."

"No one's hurt?"

I felt her shake her head. "Don't think so. It looks like my apartment took the brunt of it."

I hung my head. "I am so, so sorry."

Katara scoffed. "It's a rental. Be sorry all you want as long as we get to do that again."

Then I was back in her arms, and once again she was stoking the fires inside me.

We made love all night until the sun came up, and when we lay there in her well-used, ruined bed, she slipped in close to me and whispered into the shell of my ear, "You aren't alone. There are some people I think you should meet. Other benders, just like us."

 _Since then, I've become one of the few people that others turn to instead of turning to despair. I've made the earth tremble. I've changed land formations forever. I've fought in wars. I've saved lives. I've seduced women and men. But it all began, I began, with Katara that night._

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 **The End**

A/N: Thanks a bunch for reading. I hope you enjoyed this little attempt at diving back into the fandom, even if it was pretty out there. The AU is interesting, I might lead to something somewhere down the line. If anyone has experience with this kind of setting, or would be willing to shoot ideas around with me for kicks, feel free to PM me and we can chat about it!

In the meantime, stay awesome!

 _***Will work for glomps***_


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